The Mark
by wayward-angel3
Summary: Sollux lived a boring life. Well, except for his burden. His mark. Everything seems down until he meets the most beautiful girl in the world, and others with similar marks. Maybe he isn't so different. Arasol. Schoolstuck. Humanstuck. Rated T because...it's homestuck. I don't own homestuck.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: hi :3 so this each chapter will be told in a different person's pov so yeah**

**enjoy...and I really appreciate reviews :)**

It was just another plain, boring day. Sollux Captor sat in his desk with his cheek resting in the palm of his pale hand. His eyelids drooped as the teacher droned on in monotone about something on genetics. Sollux rolled his eyes, doodling absently on his yellow notebook. He knew all of it already. He sighed inaudibly and laid his left arm on his desk. His eyes wandered down to the small tattoo on his wrist, right under the crease. It was the zodiac sign for gemini. He'd had this mark for as long as he could remember. He had one vague memory of asking his father about it, who simply replied, "You're special, Sollux, different from everyone else." He hated it. He hated being different, special. His stupid lisp and bi-colored eyes made him different enough. But a small part of him had hope. He knew that there had to be other who were marked, there had to be. As his head began to drop towards the desk, he heard the hinges on the classroom door squeak. Sollux's eyes widened as a girl walked through the threshold. She was the most beautiful human being he had ever seen. She had long, dark-red hair that fell down her back in curls like a fiery waterfall. She wore a fitted black camisole, which clearly outlined her curves, and a gray skirt which touched the floor. The teacher had obviously not realized that the girl was standing there, and kept prattling on about the boring subject.

"Um, excuse me?" the girl finally said in a light, hollow voice. The teacher jumped and dropped her folder, startled by the interruption. She forced a cheerful smile, then bent down to collect her papers. A few of Sollux's classmates giggled.

"Sorry, dear," the teacher apologized. "I didn't hear you come in." Obviously. She walked towards the mysterious girl, flipping through her folder and pulling out a white sheet of paper.

"You must be," she paused, glancing down at the folder. "A-Aradia? Did I say that right?" Aradia nodded in reply. She slung her bag over her shoulder and made her way down the aisle. She stopped at the empty desk in front of Sollux, who felt like his heart was about to beat right out of his chest. She tossed her bag down, flipped her rust-red hair over her shoulder, and slid into the desk.

"Why don't you come give a little introduction?" the teacher called. Aradia turned around to face Sollux with an expression of horror.

"Is she serious?" she whispered. Her eyes were like glowing embers, setting her gaze alight in sparks.

"Afraid so," Sollux replied. Aradia giggled lightly at his lisp, causing Sollux to blush.

"Come on up, we don't bite," the teacher encouraged. Aradia gave Sollux one last look of desperation before sliding out of her desk and walking up to the front, her hips swaying slightly. She turned around, surveying the silent class with her amber eyes.

"Um, well you guys know my name," she began with a hollow tone in her voice. "I just came here and I don't know what the hell is going on."

A pervert in the back raised his hand immediately.

"And don't try to help me." With that she flipped her hair, and walked back to her desk. The teacher stared at her awestruck.

"Well, um, thank you for that interesting introduction," she stammered, then continued on with her lecture. Aradia sighed and turned around again.

"So what kind of hell hole is this?" she asked. Her eyes glistened, but there was an eerie hollowness to them.

"The worst," Sollux replied. Aradia smirked slightly, then held out her hand.

"Aradia Megido," she introduced. Sollux took her hand, returning the greeting.

"Sollux Captor," he responded. Then, without warning, she grabbed his wrist and flipped it around so that his palm was facing the ceiling. His breath caught in his throat. Her eyes met his, then flickered downwards, resting for a moment on his tattoo. She slowly raised her arm, revealing her own mark. She slowly raised her arm, revealing her mark. They were similar in every way, except that hers was the symbol for Aries, the ram. Their gazes held for around 10 seconds before Aradia turned back around, leaving Sollux to his mound of jumbled up thoughts.


	2. Chapter 2: Aradia

**A/N: forgot to put this in earlier but there will be lots of arasol :3 so I hope you enjoy arasol...and possibly vriskan (:**

Aradia felt like an outcast in her new school, she knew she didn't belong. As she walked down the halls, she could feel everyone's eyes fixed on her, boring into her mind and extracting all of her secrets. Well, that is, until she met that dork, Sollux Captor. He was nice and sort of cute, even though he had obviously been staring at her boobs. He was tall and lanky, with short, choppy black hair and a slight lisp. But his eyes intrigued her the most. One was a deep blue, as if filled with the ocean, while the other was deep red, almost like rust, similar to the color of Aradia's hair. Then, of course, there was his tattoo. Their marks were similar in every way, except his was Gemini, the twins. She had the strongest feeling that their meeting was not a coincidence. There might even be more in this school. Hopefully.

When the lunch bell finally rang, Aradia grabbed her bag and leapt up, eager to escape that life-sucking classroom. She flew out the door, her red curls bouncing with her.  
The macaroni and cheese they were serving look more like inedible, yellow mush. Aradia gave her plate a look of disgust, tossed it in the trash, and grabbed an apple and a bottle of water. She scanned the cafeteria for a decent table to sit at. She finally made her way past the crowds of hungry students to a table in the back where two girls from her pre-calc class were sitting. They seemed to be in the middle of a heated argument.

"I know you stole my pencil, Vriska!" a girl with short brown hair yelled to the girl sitting across from her. She wore bright red glasses, covering her eyes. Aradia knew she was blind.

"Puh-leeeeaaaase, Terezi. You don't even have any proof," she taunted as she flipped her long, jet-black behind her, glaring through her glasses. Aradia cleared her throat, finally getting the girls' attention.

"Can I sit here?" she asked plainly. The short-haired girl, Terezi, grinned widely.

"Aradia, right?" Terezi asked.

"Um, yeah," Aradia replied, curious to know how Terezi had figured that out. Vriska scooted over, giving Aradia a place to sit at the edge of the bench. She turned to look at her, her cobalt eyes twinkling.

"So are you gonna go out with Sollux?" she asked, a hint of tease in her voice. Terezi cackled.

"Um, I don't know," Aradia said, her eyes flickering down. "I mean, I just met him."

"I heard he has two tongues," Terezi interjected. "That might explain the hilarious lisp."  
"When you finally hook up with him, tell me if he has two dicks," Vriska joked. Aradia rolled her eyes. Then a thought came to her head.  
"Did you guys see that mark he has on his wrist?" she asked. She saw Vriska's eyes drop downwards momentarily.  
"Why?" Vriska asked. Aradia turned her arm.  
"I have one like it," she said quietly. Vriska looked at Terezi, who seemed to understand. They rested their left arms on the gray table, exposing their own tattoos. Scorpio and Libra, the scorpion and the scales. Aradia felt her heart flutter with relief. So there were more like her. Maybe this school wasn't so bad after all.


	3. Chapter 3: Kanaya

**A/N: HELLO sorry about the wait I went to this dance camp and I just havent had much time but anyways...sorry this is such a short chapter im about to post another *whispers*VRISKAN**

**enjoy.**

Kanaya Maryam felt like she wanted to puke. The fashion at her new school was the worst she had even seen. Especially that kid Karkat, with his huge gray sweater, and that awful stoner Gamzee. Seriously, who wears pants with polka-dots?! She wished she hadn't left her lipstick at home. All day she had been sitting in the corner of the dull classroom, wishing to god she would meet someone interesting, someone nice. It seemed like forever before the ending bell rang, and Kanaya was eager to get out of this hellhole. As she was making a beeline towards the door, she accidently ran into a tall, dark-haired girl. Kanaya was knocked back along with the girl, papers flying everywhere.

"Ouuuuuuuuch, watch where you're going," the girl whined, rubbing her head. Kanaya looked up, seeing the girl clearly for the first time. She had long, jet-black hair which framed her face in curls. Her dark blue eyes gleamed behind her glasses. She glared at Kanaya as she struggled to get up.

"I'm so sorry," Kanaya apologized immediately as she gathered her notebooks. She stood up, smoothing out her long red skirt. She looked at the girl, giving her a quick look over. She was wearing a dark blue v-neck under a gray cardigan and blue skinny jeans. It wasn't the greatest outfit, but it was better than most of her other classmates. Kanaya felt a jolt in her stomach. This girl was rather pretty.

"I'm really sorry," Kanaya said again. The girl rolled her eyes.

"No matter," she replied, walking off. Kanaya's eyes widened in desperation, and she ran out to catch up with her. She got there just in time, deliberately grabbing on the girl's shoulder. The girl turned around and sighed in annoyance.

"What do you want?" she snapped irritably. Kanaya looked down at her feet.

"Um, I just wanted to know if you are okay..." she paused, "what's your name?"

"Vriska Serket," the girl said plainly, flipping her long hair.

"I'm Kanaya Maryam," Kanaya replied. She glanced up. "Is there anyway that I can pay for what I did?" Vriska gawked at her.

"You just bumped into me! It's not a big deal!" she yelled in exasperation. Kanaya glanced up, running her fingers through her short hair.

"I j-just-um," Kanaya found herself at a loss for words, which didn't usually happen. Vriska sighed, then smiled slightly.

"Fine, I'll think of something," she said. Kanaya felt her heart flutter excitedly.

"See you later then," Kanaya responded. Her whole body felt like it was smiling. A friend.


	4. Chapter 4: Sollux

**A/N: back to Mr. Appleberry blast (: also I love reviews, reviews are very helpful :3**

**Don't be afraid to critique my writing too...**

***whispers* this chapter turned out really sad and I don't know how :'( **

Sollux climbed the steep, cold stairs to his small apartment. But as he opened the door, he wasn't thinking about the creaking hinges, or the small leak in the hallway, or the fact that the cabinet over the fridge wouldn't close. All he could think about was her, Aradia Megido. Her amber eyes lit up his mind, her fiery hair blowing in his imagination. She was beautiful. As Sollux walked to his room, he passed his dad who was working on his computer as usual.

"How was the first day?" his dad asked without turning around.

"Um, great," Sollux replied. The sound of hitting keys stopped, and Sollux's dad spun around in his chair.

"Great?" he inquired, his eyebrows furrowed over his glasses. Sollux nodded.

"Great."

His dad waited, then shrugged and turned around, leaving Sollux to continue his work. Sollux sighed. His dad was a web designer and he worked for a lot of big companies. That's why Sollux moved almost 3 times a year. He hated it. He wished they could just move somewhere and stay there, become an actual member of that community, become actual neighbors. They were always seen as 'visitors'. He breathed heavily out of his nose, feeling his cheeks get hot with anger. He hated his dad. He hated his Mark. He hated his life. Sollux stormed into his room and sat down on his bed. He slowly traced his tattoo, his eyes stinging with tears of anger and desperation. A single tear fell down his pale cheek, leaving a glistening streak. The dam broke, and his tears came flowing out like a waterfall. Sollux wanted so much. He wanted to be normal, he wanted a home, but most of all, he wanted Aradia. Aradia, with her adventurous smile and bright eyes. Aradia, with her sweet yet hollow voice and her Mark. But he knew it would be too late. Why should he even try if it was only going to last a week. Sollux breathed heavily, wiping his puffy eyes. He needed to just forget about all of it. So he reached into his backpack and pulled out his red and blue laptop. He pulled it open and double clicked on Trollian. The first name that popped up on the online list was hers. apocalypseArisen. Sollux felt like a mess, his eyes threatened to water again. He took a deep breath, mustering all the courage he could, and clicked on her tag name.

twinArmageddons [TA] began trolling apocalypseArisen [AA]

TA: 2up aa

AA: 0h hi s0llux

Oh hi? Sollux thought to himself. "Oh hi?!"

TA: ii want two tell you 2omethiing

AA: what

TA: how do ii put thii2

TA: ii thiink that you are very pretty

TA: and ii liike you

There was a pause. A very uncomfortable pause. Sollux fidgeted with his glasses nervously.

TA: ii gue22 ii wa2 wonderiing iif you liike me?

TA: aa?

TA: you 2tiill there?

It seemed like ages before Aradia finally messaged back.

AA: give me s0me time

apocalypseArisen [AA] ceased trolling twinArmageddons [TA]

Sollux's heart sunk into his stomach. He knew it. He knew she would say no. He had made a total fool of himself. Now he was too angry to cry. He hated everything. Sollux thought that Aradia might have liked, might have accepted him. But who would accept a dork like Sollux, with his stupid lisp and freaky eyes. He lay down on his bed, blacking out the world, even Aradia.


	5. Chapter 5: Terezi

**A/N: Enter TEREZI one of my favorite trolls :3 but why is everything sad**

Terezi Pyrope stared blankly at the wall. The ticking of the clock seemed deafening. She lay her head down on the desk, closing her eyes which were hidden behind her red glasses. She adjusted the glasses on the bridge of her nose. Terezi used to hate her glasses; she wore them to hide her ghostly white pupils, which usually stared in the wrong direction. But over the years, she had grown accustomed to them, even began to really like them. Now she wouldn't go anywhere without them. As the teacher gave a presentation on bees, which that kid Sollux-who smelled like an apple berry smoothie-seemed to really enjoy, she doodled in her notebook with her favorite red pen. She loved red. It smelled like cherries. She took a deep breath through her nose, inhaling all the smells around her. The scent of grapes stood out against the others. Terezi's eyebrows furrowed and she turned her head to the left and sniffed. The scent hit her even stronger, accompanied with a strange, intoxicating smell. Terezi leaned forward, eager to investigate what this new smell was and where it was coming from. Her phone beeped quietly. Terezi snapped back to her seat, and slip her phone out of her pocket. The text smelled like grapes.

**TC: wHaT tHe MoThErFuCk Do YoU wAnT?**

So the smells had an owner.

**GC: WHY DO YOU SM3LL L1K3 GR4P3S 4ND 1NTOX1C4T1ON?**

There was a long pause.

**GC: 4R3 YOU GO1NG TO 4NSW3R M3?**

**GC: H3LLO?**

**GC: M1ST3R 1NTOX1C4T1NG GR4P3S 4R3 YOU TH3R3?**

**GC: GR4P3 M4N 4NSW3R M3 NOW.**

**GC: NOW.**

Terezi sighed in annoyance and put her head down in frustration. She grabbed her pen and scribbled in her notebook:

_WHY C4N'T 1 S33._

_1 H4T3 3V3RYTH1NG._

A single tear fell down, smudging the red ink. The tear ruined the delightful cherry smell, making Terezi feel even more lost and sad.

The first bell went off, ringing in Terezi's ears. She got up slowly, waiting for most of the students to leave. She gathered her notebooks and grabbed her cane. As she was walking out, a new scent hit her nose. It smelled sort of like blueberries. She turned around, her nose in the air.

"Who are you?" Terezi demanded. The scent moved closer, filling her nostrils with the scent of, well, blue.

"Geeeeeeeez," the scent, obviously a girl, whined. "Way to be so polite." She had a sassy tone of voice. Terezi narrowed her eyes.

"What do you want?" she asked in agitation. The girl huffed.

"Why do you wear those glasses?" she questioned plainly. Terezi opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

"Why d-do you care?" Terezi protested. No one had ever asked her that, much less had been so blatant about it. Terezi fidgeting with her cane.

"Because when I'm curious about something I want to find out about it," she explained. "Simple as that."

Terezi huffed. This blue girl was getting on her nerves.

"I'm blind, okay?!" she snapped. Her words hovered in the still air.

"Well then," the girl said, breaking the silence with her sarcastic voice. "See you soon." She left giggling.

Terezi rolled her eyes and walked off, tapping her cane in front of her.

**A/N: sorry these chapters have all been short...it would be really helpful if you guys could possibly help me come up with some more ideas... :)**


	6. Chapter 6: Vriska-Aradia

**A/N: a lovely 'guest' suggested an idea to use...so thank you :3 I changed it a little bit.**

**And I would like to say thank you to all the people who have reviewed this fic :D also this is a double chapter (but its kinda short sorry)**

Vriska walked down the hall to her gym class, followed by Aradia and Terezi. She pushed open the locker room door, and the scent of sweat and perfume engulfed her.

"Have fun," Terezi cackled as Aradia and Vriska made their way through the strange smelling and misty locker room.

"Where's she going?" Aradia asked, looking wistfully at the door.

"Art class," Vriska replied plainly as she turned the lock to open her locker. She pulled out her blue and gray PE clothes, and pulled her shirt off. She was about to pull on her discolored shirt, when she heard a cough. Vriska froze and turned around. Standing next to her was Kanaya, that girl who had ran into her the other day.

"Um, can I have some privacy?" Vriska snapped. "Or are you just going to stand there while I change."

When Kanaya didn't respond, Vriska saw where her eyes were pointing. She was staring at Vriska's upturned wrist, and the small Mark on it. Vriska took a sharp breath, pulling her arm down defensively and turning around. She took a deep breath, and continued to pull her shirt over her body. As she twisted back around to grab her shorts, Kanaya caught her arm in her surprisingly strong grasp.

"I have it, too," Kanaya spoke in a whisper. She glanced around. "I need to talk to you after school." Vriska nodded quickly, then Kanaya ran off to join her classmates, leaving Vriska breathing heavily.

"Coming Vriska?" she heard Aradia ask. Vriska nodded, and pushed open the door to the gym.

Aradia leaned against the cold wall, a small bead of sweat trailing down her flushed face. She wiped her forehead, then redid her high ponytail.

"Alright, we're going to play a game of Capture the Flag to cool down," the coach announced. "I'll split up the teams." Aradia stood next to Vriska as the teacher divided the class. Aradia ended up with Sollux and a guy from her English class who was extremely muscular and sweat a lot. Gross. Aradia walked over to Sollux, who immediately became interested in his baggy PE shirt.

"Hey Sollux," she said softly. Sollux nodded slightly. Aradia rubbed the back of neck and sighed.

"I want to talk to you."

Sollux looked up, his red and blue eyes scanning her face.

"About yesterday, well," Aradia paused. "I was just shocked, I mean. I met you like a week ago. We hardly know each other!"

Sollux nodded, beginning to walk away.

"I get it, AA, you don't want to go out with me," he said bitterly. Aradia grabbed his shoulder.

"No, that's not it, Sollux! I really like you!"

Sollux froze. He turned around, his eyes full of hope.

"I like you," Aradia admitted. "And we can go out-" Sollux beamed foolishly.

"But, let's give each other some time," she continued. "Some time to get to know each other, okay?"

"Alright," Sollux replied, still grinning. Aradia smiled back, and they held gazes for a moment before the coach's whistle snapped them back to the game.


	7. Chapter 7: Karkat

**A/N: so I'm not sure if I'm going to keep introducing characters. Again, I really enjoy hearing ideas from you guys and it's really helpful :3**

Karkat threw open the car door and slid in with a huff, then pulling the door close with a loud slam. His dad turned around sharply.

"Did I ask you to destroy this car?" he snapped.

"Did I ask you to fucking talk to me?!" Karkat retorted with an icy glare. His dad huffed angrily, but turned back around and backed out of the school parking lot. Karkat stared out the window, fuming. He just needed to get home, needed to get to the comfort of friends and not his douchebag of a dad. He sighed. He had made it through the first week, no, he had survived the first week and only barely. Only by the help of the people he met. That dorky computer geek, Sollux, was probably his closest friend. Maybe it was because they both hated their fuckass dads, or maybe it was because they had similar Marks on their wrists, except Karkat's was the sign for Cancer, the crab. Sometimes he wished he had cancer. Karkat leaned his head against the window, his breath fogging up the clear glass. As soon as the car pulled into his driveway, Karkat leapt out and walked briskly into the house, not even looking at his dad. He stormed into his bedroom, threw his backpack down, and logged onto his computer. A new message was open already.

**twinArmageddons [TA] began trolling carcinoGeneticist [CG]**

**TA: 2up kk?**  
**CG: HEY SOLLUX.**  
**TA: what'2 goiing on?**  
**CG: I WANT TO THROW A FUCKING AXE AT MY DAD'S HEAD.**  
**CG: SERIOUSLY.**  
**TA: beliieve me, ii get that feeliing a lot two.**  
**CG: WELL BESIDES MY DAD BEING A DOUCHEBAG, I GUESS EVERYTHING'S GOOD.**  
**TA: well, aa 2aiid ye2.**  
**CG: REALLY?**  
**TA: 2ort of.**  
**TA: 2he 2aiid that 2he liike2 me, but 2he thiink2 we need 2ome tiime two get two know each other better.**  
**CG: MAKES SENSE.**  
**CG: I GUESS I'M FUCKING HAPPY FOR YOU OR WHATEVER.**  
**TA: thank2**  
**TA: well, ii have two fiiniish my homework**

**twinArmageddons [TA] ceased trolling carcinoGeneticist [CG]**

Karkat sighed and closed his laptop. There was a bang on his door.

"Karkat, you in there?" his father yelled.

"Why do you fucking care?!" Karkat shouted back obnoxiously. He heard his dad huff in annoyance.

"I'm going out. You better get your homework done." Karkat rolled his eyes. 'Going out' was his dad's term for going to the bar and getting totally wasted and then coming home the next morning.

"Fuck you," was Karkat's only reply. He heard his dad stomp out of the house, slamming the door behind him.  
Karkat lay down on his bed with his arms stretched out, staring up at the gray ceiling. A single tear dripped down and splashed on his mattress.  
He closed his eyes, letting the peaceful darkness engulf him.


	8. Chapter 8: Kanaya

**A/N: sorry short chapter again. VRISKAN :3**

Kanaya tapped her foot while she waited, sometimes looking around to make sure that no one was watching. When Vriska walked out of the school doors, she sighed in relief, letting all of her muscles relax.

"What do you want?" Vriska asked as she made her way over. Kanaya glanced around frantically.

"Not so loud, please," she warned. She huffed. "Come on."

Kanaya led Vriska around the school, to the back of the parking lot where no one waited.

"What are you going to do, rape me?" Vriska asked incredulously. Kanaya rolled her eyes.

"Well, what is this all about?" Vriska demanded.

"What do you think?" Kanaya snapped back. Vriska's eyes flickered down to her wrist.

"Oh."

"Yeah."

They stood in awkward silence.

"Well then, what's your Mark?" Vriska asked blatantly. Kanaya held up her arm.

"Virgo, the maiden," she answered in dignity.

"Fitting," Vriska remarked snarkily. Kanaya suppressed a smile.

"As is yours," she replied as she gestured to Vriska's Scorpio tattoo. Vriska laughed.

"I know, right? I even have a pet spider!" she smiled wickedly. Kanaya giggled, but her smile vanished quickly. Vriska's brow furrowed.

"What is it?" she asked. Kanaya looked around to make sure that they were alone, then stepped closer to Vriska and spoke quietly.

"Don't you find it strange that we all have, well, the Mark, and we're all at the _same school_?" she inquired.

Vriska looked down.

"I never thought about that," she said softly. Kanaya nodded grimly.

"It can't be a coincidence," she announced. "Should we tell the others?"

Vriska nodded immediately.

"Of course." Kanaya took Vriska's hand in hers.

"I might just be really paranoid," she paused, looking Vriska straight in the eye. "But I don't have good feeling about this, at all. And I want you and everyone else to be safe."

Vriska nodded in understanding.

There was a loud honk from the parking lot. Vriska let go of Kanaya's hand and craned her neck to see. She huffed in annoyance and turned back to Kanaya.

"Well, I've kept my mom waiting long enough," Vriska said apologetically. She tucked a lock of jet-black hair behind her ear, then leaned forward and lightly kissed Kanaya on the cheek.

"Thank you," she said, then walked off to where her mom was waiting.

Kanaya stood frozen to her spot. She slowly reached her hand up and touched where Vriska's lips had grazed her cheekbone. A smile tugged at the corners of her red lips. She would survive this school, and Vriska was there to help her. She grinned foolishly as she walked back to her mom's car.

"You look happy," she remarked as Kanaya climbed into the passenger seat.

Kanaya just looked out the window.


	9. Chapter 9: Vriska

**A/N: hello lovely readers! sorry about the wait /: school started so things are getting busier**

The alarm on Vriska's clock beeped obnoxiously. Vriska rolled over sleepily and hit the snooze button with her palm. The clock read 7:02 A.M. There was a loud knock on her door.

"Get up, Vriska!" her mom called. She moaned, rubbing her bloodshot eyes. It was the start of the second week of school. She didn't know how she survived this long. Vriska yawned, swinging her legs over the side of the bed and struggling to stand up on her tired feet. She staggered to her closet and pulled out a black tank top and a pair of blue jean shorts. After pulling on her clothes, she walked over to her mirror and cringed at her reflection. Her long, black hair stood every which way in tangled knots. There were bags under her blue eyes, and her lips were parched. She sighed, then picked up her hairbrush and worked at looking the least bit decent. Time passed and her clock now was blinking 7:35. Her mom knocked on her door again as a warning.

"We have to leave in 15 minutes!" she called urgently. Vriska evaluated her, now modified, reflection. She had put on concealer to cover up the dark circles, but her eyes still seemed tired. She lined the bottom of her lid with black eye pencil which intensified the blue of her iris. She had also put on her favorite cobalt lipstick. Her hair was braided over her shoulder, but a few flyaways still stuck out in random places. Vriska sighed again. She looked good enough to get by. A thought snuck into her head. Did she look good enough for Kanaya? Kanaya was the fashion queen, and Vriska looked like she had just been dumpster diving. With one final act of desperation, she put on some more make-up, grabbed her dark blue cardigan, then ran out the door to where her mom was waiting.

"Thanks, mom," she said as she stepped out of the car in front of the school entrance.

"I'll see you at 4:00," her mom replied as she backed out of the parking lot. Vriska slung her backpack over her shoulder and walked through the glass doors.

"Vriska!" a voice shouted almost immediately. She spun around and saw Kanaya walking briskly towards her. A smile spread across Vriska's blue lips.

"Hey," she said back as Kanaya approached her. Today she was wearing a summery, knee-length, green dress with a pink bow around her waist. Her hair was slicked up and her lips were coated with jade lipstick. She looked beautiful. She hugged Vriska, and Vriska felt a knot form in the bottom of her stomach.

"How are you?" Kanaya asked as they continued to walk down the hall.

"Um, p-pretty good!" Vriska managed to spit out. She blushed slightly. "You?" Kanaya sighed.

"I've been better, but I'm doing well," she spoke with a slight accent, vaguely british. Vriska just nodded.

"So, I want to talk to you more about," Kanaya paused, lowering her voice. "The Mark." Vriska was about to reply when the first bell sounded, splitting her eardrums. She sighed and turned to go to her math class.

"Well, I'll talk to you later, okay?" she called down the hall to Kanaya.

"Lunch!" Kanaya called over the din of the bustling students.

_Lunch_. Vriska felt her heart flutter. She had feelings for Kanaya, strong feelings. As she made her way to her desk, she wondered if Kanaya felt the same way about her. She sat down and pulled out her notebook, still smiling.

About halfway through the class, her phone beeped. Vriska slipped it out of her back pocket and opened the message. It was from Terezi.

**GC: M3SS4G3 FROM TH4T G1RL, UM, K4N4Y4.**

Vriska's heart skipped a beat.

**AG: What?**

**GC: G33Z C4LM DOWN.**

**GC: SH3 JUST W4NT3D TO KNOW 1F-**

**GC: W41T.**

There was a long pause before her phone beeped again.

**GA: Hello, This Is Kanaya.**

**AG: Oh, hey ::::)**

**GA: Wait, The Teacher Is About To See Me.**

**GA: I Need To Ask You Something At Lunch.**

**GA: See You Then. **

**AG: Ummmmmmmm, okay.**

Vriska couldn't sit still for the rest of her class. The wait for the lunch bell was like torture. She couldn't take the anxiety. She needed to get to find out what Kanaya needed to ask. She needed to know the answer.


	10. Chapter 10: Aradia

**A/N: hello lovelies! just want to say thanks for the awesome reviews :D and sorry for the wait**

**ARASOL *flies into the sun***

Aradia sat across from Sollux in the serene library, working on a lab write-up for biology. She had finally acquiesced to Sollux's persistence to go out with her, and so three days earlier, Aradia agreed as Sollux listened hopefully. He then proceeded to tell the whole school that he was "dating the most gorgeous girl in the school and everyone should be jealous of him".

They weren't.

But Aradia was happy, she enjoyed spending time with that attractive dork. They hadn't shared their special first kiss yet, though. Aradia wasn't sure if she was waiting for the right moment or for him to make the first move. It was rather suspenseful. She sighed, returning to her bio homework. As she continued jotting down notes about osmosis, Sollux looked up at her over his laptop.

"Hey, AA," he called in a whisper. "Come look at this." He slid over to share his seat as Aradia sat up and walked around the graffiti covered table. She gasped when she saw the screen, her eyes illuminating from the glow of the monitor. She gazed at Sollux with a love-filled expression, and sat down on his lap.

"Sollux, it's amazing!" she proclaimed, throwing her arms around him. Lit on the screen was a whole website that Sollux had programmed just for the, and in the middle was an intricate sketch of Aradia, her visage glowing. Sollux blushed lightly.

"I-I got some help Nepeta," he stammered bashfully. "I mean, it really isn't that big of-"

Aradia stopped him mid-sentence, pressing her lips meaningfully against his. Sollux froze momentarily, surprised, but then kissed back just as passionately. After a few long minutes, Aradia pulled away, her arms still wrapped around Sollux. She stared into his multi-colored eyes and smiled.

"It's beautiful," she whispered.

"You're beautiful," Sollux replied.

"I love you."

"I love you, too."


End file.
